Glimpse Into the Future
by Dzuljeta
Summary: Soon after Captain Jack enters the scene, The Ninth Doctor begins to feel much more protective over Rose than usual. However, soon he is presented with an opportunity to see his Rose with his Tenth incarnation... Nine/Rose, Ten/Rose
1. Glimpse, Chapter One

_A/N. Yes, I could not help myself and had to put this up before working on some important non-fanfiction related things. Oops? :) This is the one story where Nine plays a bigger part than Ten (surprising, eh? But the Doctor is the Doctor, always. And he (Nine, Ten, TenToo… not that sure about Eleven x Rose, but why not?) belongs only with Rose Tyler, in my humble opinion / headcanon). _

_I can see at least one or two more chapters coming after this one. It depends on the way my muse chooses (or doesn't choose) to cooperate. :P I hope you enjoy! :)_

* * *

**Glimpse Into the Future**

**Chapter One**

"Have I done something wrong, Doctor?" Rose inquired the short-haired alien softly, unwilling to experience any sort of quarrel – she had had enough of those during the hours she was forced to spend at home in London, while the Doctor had to fix something important in the TARDIS, according to him - too important to waste another moment leaving whatever it was unfixed, too complicated for any human to understand… which was the given reason why he had brought her home. Of course, the Doctor had not anticipated for a certain Jack Harkness to join her.

_As long as Jack did not cause you any trouble…_

"No! Of course not," he assured the blonde girl with a smile, which, nonetheless, felt completely fake.

Rose breathed out, not taking any of it. "Are you sure?" It could still be that the Doctor was jealous of Jack being able to charm anyone (as far as she imagined and heard from his incredible stories, these were not merely humans) in no time. Not her, not to the point of romance, but a jealous man was a jealous man all the same. Or an alien.

Jack's words were still ringing in the Doctor's ears. _"Don't worry, Doctor. She's yours. I'll charm Jackie into appreciating me before she even begins to realise it instead. Besides, what mother doesn't want her daughter hanging out with a handsome man?" _Jack had sent him a wink, but the Gallifreyan had merely glared at him. While Captain Jack was a friend, sometimes even one relatively trustworthy, he was still not to be trusted, when it came to Rose. The fact she was obviously enjoying his attention did not help.

Nothing had happened between the younger Tyler girl and Jack. Nothing but a healthy dose of playful flirting. But Rose was not in the mood to assure the Doctor of what she believed to have been obvious. The Captain was a great companion, always succeeding in making her laugh, she could give him that… After all, it had been Jack that had made her mother prank up extensively, after having assured the woman Rose and him were but friends…

The silence in the console room was tiring and unwelcome. Rose looked away from the Doctor, not ready to deal with another possible wave of gloom the alien was so good at broadcasting.

"I don't remember having thanked you," the blonde addressed the self-assured Jack. Sometimes the fact he tended to be so aware of his great looks made her roll her eyes… but right then, all she wanted was the silence to go away, even if filled with empty stories. The Captain was always ready to provide everybody with them, and Rose would have been fooling herself if she said she didn't enjoy those.

"You have," the man assured her with a dazzling smile.

"Thank _you_... for what?" The Doctor eyed Jack with mistrust, his acute attention returning.

"As I'd promised, Doctor," he nodded at him conspiratorially, "Rose is a forbidden territory for me, but-" Rose rolled her eyes at the conversation. Some things were better left unheard. Nevertheless, she, too, was listening intently now. "But her mother isn't!"

The Doctor glared at him, only stopping himself from making an unpleasant comment when he realised Rose Tyler was still in the room.

"Yes," the blonde smirked. Jackie had been literally glowing from the attention the Captain had been giving her. "That was why I needed to thank Jack – he drove her attention off me to himself," the girl spoke dryly, yet her hazel eyes were sparkling.

Whenever on the TARDIS, the young girl was full of expectations. It was never completely clear if the Doctor's time and space ship would land them to an intended place and time… strangely, the further they were from the supposed landing spot, the more interesting the adventure ended up to be… Something completely different from the routine her life in London had to offer… Something _better_.

Captain Jack smiled smugly at the Time Lord. "Apparently, Mrs Tyler still holds some grudge on you, Doc."

The alien shrugged. "As if I didn't know. I don't generally willingly communicate with people that keep slapping me on sight."

Rose bit her lip in annoyance. "Could we leave the domestics alone for a while?" The Doctor gave her his widest smile, this time utterly sincere. "Absolutely, Rose Tyler. Absolutely."

"Good… The question still stands, Doctor. What's wrong?" the blonde companion decided to risk it, even if it might cause a quarrel of sorts between them. After all, she had the Captain on her side.

The Time Lord saw unhidden worry in her eyes. Rose was never someone possible to fool, and he thought it would be better if he did tell her the cause of his uneasiness.

"As long as Jack leaves us." The once-Time Agent rolled his eyes, but hurried to leave the room with a nod and a knowing grin on his face.

Okay, no Jack Harkness on her side, then… Rose shrugged, more amused than annoyed.

Without delay, the Time Lord began to speak. "I don't know if I can tell you, but-"

Rose smiled at the Doctor encouragingly. "Do tell," she sent him a nearly pleading look, as it was clear he needed some incentive. Not sparing an additional thought, the girl grabbed him by the hand, happy to see some of the tension leaving him.

"Oh, Rose Tyler…" The young woman was following him silently, only pressing his hand harder.

"While you were away – sorry for that, by the way, bad idea, I shouldn't have ..- I have met a version of you from the future.

"From the future?" Rose repeated, interest shining in her eyes. Already used to the concepts incomprehensible to humans unfamiliar with the life she was leading, the girl was neither surprised nor afraid. In fact, the blonde was expecting the Time Lord would tell her more about it.

"Yes." _So much of the hopes..._

"How is it? The future? Very different? Rose was ready to start making guesses.

The Doctor shrugged. "No." His expression was impossible to read.

"I still can't see the- Oh, sure." The blonde took a deep breath, assuming something must have been wrong with her in whatever the Doctor had seen.

The Time Lord looked at her searchingly, wondering just how much she would be able to take.

"Well, at least I'm still alive in the future! That's the only thing that matters, right?"

"Obviously." The Gallifreyan turned his eyes away from her. _So complicated..._

"Would it make you feel better if I hugged you, Doctor?" Rose was uncertain what exactly it was the Doctor had seen, but she could sense it was not something pleasant.

"Do you really need to ask, Rose?"

"Nope," she awarded the Doctor with the tongue between teeth grin, before pulling him into a friendly hug.

"When you'd _met_ me there," she spoke carefully, trying to keep her voice level and relatively quiet, yet unable to fully hide her interest, "did I look different?"

The Doctor had to stop himself from rolling his eyes at her. Rose was but a human… frighteningly so. "Actually… it wasn't a meeting. I saw you as a common passer-by, that's all. And no. You were hardly any different from the way you look now."

The companion breathed in. There were many questions the Time Lord was apparently unwilling to answer… or would be, if she attempted to ask him. Rose saw the uneasiness shining on the Doctor's face… still, he had wished to talk to her about it, so she waited.

And indeed, before the shamelessly attractive human woman flooded him with any additional questions, he continued gravely. "You were laughing and holding hands with a young man I could not recognise. A new love interest, perhaps?"

Rose rolled her eyes at him playfully. Was it only her imagination, or was the Time Lord jealous of her spending time with someone he did not even know?

"Laughing and holding hands with someone else than you does not mean anything, Doctor."

"Not even when it was clearly obvious from the way you two looked at each other that there was something going on between the two of you?"

"What's the use of making assumptions about things that can always change?" she spoke softly.

That was what the Time Lord was afraid of the most. Any possible changes in Rose's future.

"You should know, though. You were calling him _your Doctor…_

* * *

_A/N. The natural question might arise - how is that a _glimpse_? Well... XD_


	2. Glimpse, Chapter Two

_A/N. The positive response to the story has been a pleasant surprise for me! Thanks to each and every one of you! :) Please let me know what you think! :3_

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**Glimpse Into the Future**

**Chapter Two**

"Slowly now, Doctor. How many of you are there? How comes there is another one? Time Lord, I take it? With the same name?" Rose was bewildered. She knew there were many things the Gallifreyan chose to never disclose to her – humans being _apes_, and all that…

Instead of encouraging him to speak, she was looking at him patiently, realising the alien would talk to her when the time felt right.

"There is only one Time Lord left, and that is me. Nobody ever uses my chosen name, and I can sense a Time Lord from light years away. This is it, Rose Tyler. Some time soon, I am going to regenerate."

"To _regenerate_?" There was one strangely similar concept the girl was vaguely familiar with, back from her school days. "As in- a reincarnation of sorts? You know, as they believe in… I don't know - India?"

"Yep." The Doctor grabbed her hand. "Brilliant, that you are. Rose Tyler." He seemed – the human tried to find a suitable word in her mind – _disconsolate_ sounded fitting. The Londoner wanted to hug the Time Lord. Apparently, this regeneration thing was seen as something negative, at least from the Doctor's point of view.

"Is this why you look so sad, Doctor?"

"Do I? Can't be. Was a bit thoughtful, that's all. Let's go find Jack and save the world again, yeah?" His simulated excitement didn't fool her.

"Come here, Doctor. Isn't this what best friends are for?" Rose wrapped her arms around him, not even thinking that was at least the tiniest bit improper. The Doctor certainly didn't object, smiling widely.

"Thanks, Rose," he smirked, having let go of her. "I feel so much better now." The shadow in his eyes was still present, but much less noticeable… and he was _smiling_.

"You were not simply passing by, right?"

"No."

"Okay…" Rose grinned at the Doctor, not letting go of his hand, afraid no contact would make the Time Lord distance himself from her again. "Are you going to tell me something else?"

The alien rolled his eyes at her. This girl was unbelievable. "I am going to change my looks, my behaviour, my way of speaking, my way of thinking-" _And you take it as an everyday thing?_

"Doesn't look like something bad from what you'd said, Doctor," she sent him a wink. The girl might have some time to overthink the possibility later. Now, all the companion wanted was having the Doctor the way he used to be. Perhaps grumpier, but more sincere.

"Possibly," he agreed. "All I can tell you, Rose Tyler, is that the Doctor – _him_, I mean - asked of me to tell you he loves you very much." The Time Lord was ready to begin denying every word he's just said at once, having met the look in her eyes.

_Loves_ her… That was a change.

"We'll see about that, Doctor… Much later, I hope," she grinned, a tip of her tongue between her teeth.

It was not that the dark-haired alien was surprised. He was terrified. How could she not be worried about him, at least a bit? "Sit down, Rose. Do you actually understand the situation?"

The memories of the conversation with his future-self began returning abruptly.

* * *

"_What have you done to her?" The short-haired Time-Lord looked meaningfully at Rose – the very same, yet somewhat different girl from London, glad she did not see him, very much involved in analysing various sorts of alien plants, all in a joyful sunny garden._

"_To Rose? I have actually spent some time in winning her over, unlike you," the future incarnation, laughing manically moments ago – 'It's you, really you, Doctor! How exciting!' – led him aside quietly._

"_I cannot tell you when, or how you are going to become me," the Tenth Doctor spoke hurriedly. "The fact that you're here means the time is approaching sooner than you'd like. Sorry," he muttered uncomfortably. "A week, a month, a year… you know how Time works, buddy."_

"_Yeah, so?" The younger Time Lord did not think he'd feel so uneasy with another version of himself._

"_You need to hear this, Doctor. Before you leave… Rose doesn't deserve the pain of not knowing. Tell her about the unavoidable. Most importantly – give her what she wants," he nodded in thought._

"_Which is?"_

"_How much are you missing?" the older alien grimaced. "Have you not noticed?"_

"_I hate riddles, _pretty boy_," the Ninth version of the Doctor grunted in annoyance._

"_Love 'em," the other one grinned at him teasingly. "Make sure she knows. Better yet, just kiss her."_

"_What are you on about? She'd hate me forever." He did not attempt to hide the fact Rose has long become the woman he cared about… There was no way, no reason. It was impossible for the Gallifreyan to fool _himself_._

"_She would not. Better yet… Try and see what happens?"_

* * *

"Doctor?" Rose was surprised to realise the alien had been watching her intently, while obviously lost in thought.

"Oh. Was remembering things. Sorry."

The Gallifreyan decided it was best for him to say something his human companion so obviously wanted to hear.

"This Doctor… He has no big ears, for one. Seems to get overexcited easily – a perfect match for you in this aspect… but, most importantly, Rose Tyler, he loves you very, very much."

The Tyler girl bit her lip. "_Loves_ me, as-

"As in romantic love, I'm certain. You should have seen… should have heard some of the things he'd told me."

Suddenly, the human felt a pang of sadness attack her. Without allowing the almost-smile to leave her face, Rose sighed. So what if some future Doctor loved her? What about the one holding her hand now? She shook her head. It was never good for her to find herself in dark thoughts. Thoughts about losing the Doctor, about never exploring the universe together with this him again have finally struck her.

"Do you think I'll be able to love him… you know, love him back?"

"Certainly, Rose Tyler. True feelings remain, or what do you humans say?"

"Yeah." Everything was becoming more and more confusing by the second. Not only had the Doctor just revealed the incredible thing that could happen to him any day from now, not only was he undoubtedly going to change – but-

True feelings. Whose?

Rose was relieved to have Captain Jack enter the room with a crash into the room, just when the heavy uncomfortable silence was about to encompass the two.

"Hello, my darling Rosie! I have a great favour to ask of you."

She smiled at him uncertainly. "Yes, Jack?"

"I have something very important to discuss with this alien. Very, very important… Could you please leave us for a little while?"

"Of course," Rose said simply. "I'll just-" she left without finishing the sentence. The Gallifreyan believed the things he'd told her has hit her just then.

Jack but threw one glance her way, before glaring at the Doctor. "What game are you playing, Doctor? Always the first to protect her, always the last to acknowledge the obvious."

"What are you on about?" the Time Lord attempted to feign ignorance. "Has Rose told you about-"

"She's told me nothing. Told nothing to you as well, apparently," Jack shook his head.

"What is it? Is something wrong with Rose?" the Doctor was on alert at once.

The Captain rolled his eyes at the alien. "There it is. Part one."

"What?"

"You worry about her."

"Of course I do, she's my travelling companion. I always worry about my companions. Part one of what?" Jack's words seemed completely meaningless to him.

"You're afraid of losing her." Something felt suspicious in the Captain's tone.

"Rose? She can take care of herself." _And of the world. _This time, it was the Doctor's voice that was unusually tender.

_At the mention of her name. _"Part two. It drives me crazy, watching you, both of you, pretend like nothing is happening."

"I'm sorry? What does our story – supposed story - have to do with you?"

_Part three. No denial. _"Rose is my friend. As are you, Doctor. Without expanding further - how long 'till you two actually kiss?"

"Shut it, Harkness," the Doctor glared at the once-Time Agent, who was smirking at him.

"Not long, trust the expert," he winked at the Gallifreyan, who chose to direct his attention away from the annoying human.


End file.
